Quiolas
Quiolas hangs on the walls of a massive canyon, out in the God’s Land of Beyne, far from anything of any importance. Originally, it was a mining settlement before the Godbomb, but the cataclysmic earthquakes triggered across Beyne collapsed many tunnels, sealing off valuable mining equipment and miners alike. Though it would eventually resume operations as a mining town, Quiolas would never operate at the same level of efficiency or output, due to superstition and fear of further collapses. The canyon Quiolas resides within, known to residents of Beyne as Laternus’ Tear, is a roughly 75 mile (120.7 Km) long gash in the earth, dropping to a whopping 1 mile (1.6 Km) deep at its lowest recorded point. Quiolas itself spans a shallower section of the canyon, filling in a section at about .4 miles (.6 Km) deep. The river in the base of the canyon, known as the Griar Alroio, moves placidly along, slow enough that waves form on the edges and lap at the shore of the nearly half-mile (.8 km) wide river. Architecturally, Quiolas feels more like it belongs in a museum than in the real world, the buildings and walkways of the canyon-side city being built of wood and rope and chain, not stone or metal. Due in part to the abundance of fast-growing trees on the river’s banks and in part to the lightweight nature of wood, the city has been rumored to smell like a crackling fire at high noon, when the sun shines down into the canyon. In truth, though, many buildings are simply facades similar to those found in the American west, the bulk of the interior actually being the entrance to a former mining shaft. In the evenings, the city is brilliantly lit by oil lanterns salvaged from old mining companies, something that has become almost a symbol of Quiolas. The city sprawls along both canyon walls for several miles, with the banks, shops, and restauraunts on one side forming the “Merchant Wall,” and basic services and housing on the “Living Wall.” Wide walkways hang from anchor points far above or attached the walls within sight, and bridges criss-cross the canyon, allowing access from one Wall to the other. For those afraid of heights, the bottom of the canyon has bridges over the massive river, and even some simple housing and food suppliers, although to reach anywhere of note, one will have to conquer their fear. Oddly enough, the little town out in the wastes has become almost a haven for those races who aren’t tolerated or understood elsewhere, due in part to the hiring demands of the mining companies, in part due to the isolation and how it protects the inhabitants from the stigma they may face elsewhere. Notably, there are an exceptionally high number of Wolfgang, Sabarus Alpha, and Geralkki Lut inhabitants for a settlement on Beyne. Quiolas is also very tolerant of religion for a modern settlement, even being unusually accepting of Sallowpaws forced out of other settlements on the planet. Due to the nearly-symbolic mining lanterns used in the city, inhabitants are often referred to as “Cavelighters” or “Hole Diggers,” though almost never to their face. In more recent times, the upper classes elsewhere on Beyne, and even elsewhere in the galaxy have found Quiolas to be a desirable place to store valuables, as it is exceptionally secluded for a settlement its size, and its various vaults have been rumored to be impenetrable, deep within the city’s few still accessible abandoned mine shafts. Some even rumor that those who try to break in are made into guards… Forever. Category:Beyne Category:Locations Category:Daydreams of Arplakoon